


Solitude

by ACuckoo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-15 22:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7241761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ACuckoo/pseuds/ACuckoo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When faced with his enemy, Ron makes a simple decision that will dramatically change how the two of them view each other, respect each other, and feel about one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Solitude

Never in his wildest dreams did Ron think he would ever witness the sight in front of him. He was at a loss of what to do, yet had it been anyone else he would have made his way over to them, held them tightly in his arms, and would have done anything to get them to stop crying. But this was different. This was Malfoy. This was the boy who tormented Ron day in and day out. Never a moment went by that Ron didn’t feel his confidence flowing out him because of something cruel Malfoy had said or done to him. In fact, now that he thought about it Malfoy deserved whatever punishment he got for his unkindness. This was what being cruel to others led to. Crying in the back of the library, alone, cold, and with no to turn to.

  
No. Not even Draco Malfoy deserved that. The way he was crying told Ron that this was no ordinary sadness. Malfoy was sobbing. He was bent over, and if he hadn’t been sitting on a bench he would have been on his knees with his face to the floor. Ron shrank back as the other let out a long, sorrowful wail. Where were his friends? Where were the other Slytherins who found loyalty and brotherhood so important? Here was one of their own, losing his mind in the back of the library, and there was no one to be found.

  
Malfoy was alone.

  
It took a lot for Ron to step out from behind the shelf and make his way towards the man who could only be considered his enemy. His legs wanted to turn around and run back to the Gryffindor common room and forget he ever saw this. Yet, now that he had witnessed it he had no choice but to do something about it. His conscious wouldn’t allow him to dare turn away now. His decision to stay was supported as Malfoy let out another dreadful wail. His breath hitched, and he stopped moving so as not to startle the other. Ron had never seen Malfoy like this. He had never seen him so vulnerable. He had never seen him so pale and sad, with his shoulders shaking and his knees buckled as he buried his head in his arms. This was not the Malfoy Ron was familiar with.

  
He reached his hand out, though hesitated to touch the other’s shoulder.

  
“H-hey…” he said quietly.

  
Malfoy jumped up and turned around, a glare already set into his features. As hard as he tried to wipe his eyes the tears continued to fall. There was no mistaking those red and puffy orbs. Anyone could see that he had been crying for hours, long before Ron had caught him. Ron’s own eyes wandered to the bench where a letter was sitting. He could see the tear stains on it, but before he could see even a word that was a written on it, Malfoy snatched it up and put it in his cloak.

  
“A man can’t find even a moment of privacy in this place,” Malfoy mumbled as he tried to pull himself together.

  
“I’ll leave,” Ron told him, already beginning to back up. “I just… Thought you could use someone. You’re here… You know.”

  
“Alone?” Malfoy scoffed as he shook his head and fell back onto the bench, covering his face with his hands. “Yeah. I’m alone. I’m… I’m alone.” If he had managed to pull himself together he was quickly unraveling again. Sympathy was etched on Ron’s face as the other couldn’t contain his sobs. He was no expert, but Ron followed his instincts and sat down next to the depressed Slytherin. He rested a hand on Malfoy’s back and rubbed it, though he was ready to back off at any moment.

  
But Malfoy didn’t force him off of him. Instead he continued to sob and when he did finally manage to speak his words were shaky and choppy.

  
“My mum, Weasley. Sh-she’s gone. She’s gone, Weasley, she’s gone.”

  
Now it made sense. Rivalries didn’t matter anymore. School didn’t matter. Grades didn’t matter. Competition amongst houses or classmates meant nothing. Draco had lost the person he loved the most in his life, and here he was confiding in the person he probably hated the most in his life.

  
“Malfoy….” Ron stared at the other, feeling his heart go out to him. Ron couldn’t imagine the kind of sorrow Malfoy was experiencing. It wasn’t even possible for him to think about life without his mother. She was the glue that held their massive family together. She made sure that their house was full of love and warmth and that every child felt like they were the most special. She was everything to her children and her husband and to think that one day she would be gone….

  
Ron shook his head as tears welled in his eyes. The pain was unbearable and yet here Malfoy was experiencing every agonizing moment. And he would continue to experience it for the rest of his life.

  
No one should have to go through this alone.

  
Ron took a deep breath as he gathered his courage and brought Malfoy into a hug. The other tensed at first, though he eventually relaxed and cried into Ron’s chest. The Slytherin grabbed a hold of the other as tightly as he could, and Ron held him back just as tightly. He listened to Malfoy sob. He listened to him scream. He listened to him call out for his mother to come back, to not leave him and his father. And all the while Ron did his best to hold in his own tears, though he didn’t care if some escaped. His priority was to take care of this person who was quickly falling deeper and deeper into despair.

  
More and more time passed, but Ron didn’t notice. It was only when Draco finally sat up and scooted away from him, wiping his eyes of any remaining tears, that he bothered to look at the clock. It was nearly five in the morning, and it only occurred to him then that they were lucky not to have been caught by Filch. Even with Malfoy this distraught he still would have punished them.

  
“What were you doing down here anyway?” Malfoy asked as he continued to wipe his eyes of the tears that seemed to never stop falling.

  
“Oh. I came down here to look for a book for Hermione. She didn’t want me to, but I wasn’t tired. I felt restless so I thought the walk would do me good.”

  
Malfoy nodded, though Ron could tell he didn’t really care. “How many hours ago was that?”

  
“Back when the library was actually open. We’ve been here a while.”

  
“You could have left.”

  
“And what good would that have done?”

  
Malfoy shrugged as he finally managed to hold in his tears. He inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and let his breath out slowly. His eyes opened again and he stared at nothing as he stood and straightened his robes. Ron stood too, and it was then that he realized how sleepy he was. He didn’t care what Harry and Hermione said to him; He was skipping classes today.

  
“I suppose you want a thank you.”

  
Ron snorted as he began to make his way down the aisle lined with dusty shelves that held dustier books. “No. I don’t expect anything. I just hope my company helped you feel a bit better. There’s no reason someone should go through something so tragic alone.”

  
“We’re not heartless, you know.” Ron stopped walking down the aisle as Malfoy said that. The blonde boy caught up to Ron and together they made their way out of the library, out into the open hallway where the early morning sun was peeking in through the large windows. “Slytherins aren’t as terrible as everyone thinks. My friends would have comforted me if I asked them to.”

  
“Why didn’t you?”

  
Malfoy’s only response was a shake of his head. They both knew why. Malfoy couldn’t show that type of weakness in front of them. He couldn’t let them know that he wasn’t capable of handling everything that was thrown at him, no matter how sad or tragic. He would tell them the bad news with a straight face, they would ask him if he was okay and try to take care of him, and he would push them away. They both knew that was how this would go.

  
Which made Ron wonder why Malfoy had allowed himself to show so much vulnerablity in front of him. Was it because he had already been caught so he just allowed the other to comfort him as he wanted? Even then it was more in Malfoy’s nature to have yelled at him, insulted him, and pushed him away.

  
Not that it mattered. All that mattered was that Malfoy didn't fight the help that was given to him, and for whatever reason that made Ron happy. He tried hard to stay out of people’s affairs and mind his business, but he was a caring person at heart. It was hard not to be with his large family around him. His natural instincts kicked in, even in the face of his enemy, and he felt no choice but to take care of him for as long as he needed.

  
“Well… I’m here if you need me,” Ron said once they got to an intersection. He knew that Malfoy would go one way and he would go the other and that it was possible they would never speak of this again. Perhaps it would be better for the two of them to forget this ever happened. After all, nothing would change after this. Ron could offer his help to Malfoy all he wanted and he knew the proud Slytherin would never take it willingly.

  
“Thanks.”

  
Malfoy was gone before Ron even noticed. And yet the quiet whisper of “thanks” hung in the air like the remnants of a whimsical spell. An impossible one that warmed this strong Gryffindor’s heart and reassured him that he had made the right decision. And Ron held onto that feeling for as long as he could until he eventually convinced himself that Malfoy would never think of this moment again.


End file.
